Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2025, that happened in front of a live audience on October 24th 2025 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was live streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp/ About the talk: With stressful competition and very little actual evidence to go on, TV smash hit The Traitors is a masterclass of flawed reasoning and leaps of logic. In this talk, Jim will look at some of the shakiest arguments contestants across the world rely on when hunting traitors, to see if we can learn from their mistakes. About the speaker: Jim is one of the hosts of the Fallacious Trump podcast, where he and co-host Mark Levermore explain logical fallacies using examples from Trump (as well as pop culture and UK politics) The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.

Chronic pain affects over 40% of the UK population, including around 18% of adolescents, with up to 6% of young people experiencing severe chronic pain. Despite its high prevalence, understanding and education around chronic pain remain limited. Long-term pain is strongly linked to reduced quality of life, increased healthcare use, and poorer long-term physical and psychological outcomes. In young people especially, chronic pain can disrupt school, social development, and emotional wellbeing. Yet, awareness and support remain lacking in both clinical and everyday settings. This talk aims to provide a clear overview of what chronic pain is, explore key risk factors that contribute to its development and persistence, and discuss current approaches to treatment and management. We’ll also touch on emerging strategies and the importance of early intervention. In short, we’ll explore why chronic pain sucks so much - and what the heck we’re trying to do about it. Anna Fieldwalker (she/her) is a postdoc research associate at Great Ormond Street Hospital, working on a new pain management programme for young people with all kinds of chronic pain. Her background is in psychology, with a keen interest in pain, VR, music, videogames, and swearing at computer screens. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.

Jack the Ripper is one of the most well-known serial killers in history, with stories of his gruesome exploits permeating popular culture to an unprecedented degree. Despite almost 150 years having passed since the appalling Whitechapel murders, we are still none the wiser about who he was, what drove his terrible crimes, or why they suddenly stopped. But could that be about to change? At the start of 2025, several news outlets reported that the identity of Jack the Ripper had been finally confirmed, using astonishing DNA evidence. But is it all really as it appears? Should we just learn to let Jack the Ripper go? Mike Hall is a web developer and Doctor Who fan (not in that order). He is a founding member of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, where he currently serves as secretary and treasurer. Since 2009 he has been producing and presenting the popular skeptical podcast Skeptics with a K, the longest running skeptical podcast in the UK. He is also on the organising team for QED, the UK's premier skeptical conference, which is now in its final year. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.

Nearly one in four Britons has a disability, and many of them would benefit from a mobility aid or other piece of assistive technology. However, studies show a consistent trend of low compliance, sometimes as little as 50% depending on demographics. Non-use and underuse of needed aids has a host of negative impacts, including excess pain and disability for the individual, as well as social effects such as the inefficient use of finite medical resources. This talk will give an overview of some of the reasons for underuse, the varying impact they can have on different demographics, and some of the things that we can do, both as individuals and as a society, to improve health outcomes. Cass Peters is a former professor of sociology and current professional sick person. In between migraines he continues to research subjects that take his fancy, with a particular emphasis on disability, identity, and stumbling head first into random historical and cultural rabbit holes. He maintains that his pets are cuter than yours and will not be taking any questions at this time. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.

From biodynamic veggies to detox cures, our supermarkets are full of products that are pure woo. One moment you’re picking up cold medicine, the next you’re eyeing a bottle of homeopathic sugar pearls. You finally decide to get started with a skin care routine, a moment later your money ends up in the pocket of an anthroposophical brand. And those carrots … are they just organic or are they grown in tune with moon cycles and fertilized with some magic concoction made of a shit-stuffed cow horns? Let’s unpick why pseudoscience is so at home among ordinary goods like apples and aspirin and why, at times, products that are gobbledygook end up in the shopping baskets of even the savviest skeptical minds. Rebecca is an Austrian Studies Scholar who one day woke up as a marketing executive. She is a Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London, where she has previously been a lecturer in German and European Studies, as well as a literature enthusiast and a material culture geek. Her main areas of interest are Austrian literature and culture, consumer culture, and the construction and portrayal of identities. In her PhD research (completed in 2021 at King's) she examined consumer objects, identities, and author brands in post-2000 Austrian literature, unpicking the emergence of the national brand of Austria and introducing the concept of ""Consumer Literacy"" - the skill of reading the narrative value of consumer objects - to literature research. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.